UMD News Releases

Duluth, MN — The Minnesota branch of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC/MN) conducted a search for students with great promise in engineering and found them at University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). On January 30, ACEC/MN awarded scholarships to ten young people from across the state and six of them were Bulldogs.

Five of them came from UMD’s Civil Engineering Department led by Adrian Hanson. They are: Brittany Fossell, Brett Hansen, Laura Hart, Corey Schlosser and April Boehne. Hanson said he is thrilled with the department’s strong showing. “As each student walked across the stage to accept their award, the emcee shared quotes from their applications and they just made everyone smile,” said Hanson. “They’re just a great group of young professionals.”

Boehne, a junior and two-time ACEC/MN scholarship winner, feels her strong academics and commitment to community were the main factors in securing her award. “I became president of the American Society of Civil Engineers on campus this year and through that have been doing a lot of volunteer work,” said Boehne. “I also think I was able to show that their investment in me last year had paid off and would continue to be worthwhile.”

A sixth UMD student, Dane Jensen with the Chemical Engineering Department also received a second consecutive scholarship. He largely credits his good grades and internship for the award. “I started working for Barr Engineering in Duluth a year ago and having experience consulting and understanding the field firsthand was a really big bonus,” said Jensen.

This falls in line with what ACEC/MN is looking for when reviewing applications. The group’s award committee seeks students who demonstrate great leadership within their schools and community as well as valuable work experience, high academic achievement and an understanding of the consulting engineering profession.

Both of these engineering departments are part of UMD’s Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE). The Dean of SCSE Joshua Hamilton said, “We are very proud of these students and their well deserved recognition for their individual achievements, as well as the recognition by the ACEC professionals of the quality of our engineering programs.”

In 2014, SCSE enrolled 3,250 students. The College is home to ten departments and connects students with hands-on research opportunities through its collaboration with multiple research institutions. To learn more about SCSE visit: http://www.d.umn.edu/scse/.